Archive for month: December, 2017

It’s the time of year when everyone rolls out their “best of” lists for 2017. Here at The Reserves Network, we’re no different.

While it’s hard to pick favorites, as there were so many great blogs this year, we were able to settle on five choice posts that covered improving the manager-employee relationship, what to do while waiting for your interview to start, avoiding the “job hopper” label, addressing a long bout of unemployment and how to respond to the “Where will you be in five years?” interview question.

Improving the manager-employee relationship

Good supervisors are in touch with every person they manage, knowing their career goals, strengths, weaknesses and potential as a professional. While this degree of attention is common to every leadership style, you need to pick a style that best suits both you and your team. Common leadership styles include consensus building, unilateral decision making, coaching, laissez-faire and community building.

What to do while you’re waiting to start the interview

Your interview begins as soon as you walk in the door of a potential employer. After you have checked in with reception and sat down to wait for your interview, it is crucial to display excellent professionalism.

While waiting, you need to avoid doing anything to hurt your chances of getting the job. In addition to being composed, you should also be polite to those you interact with, rehearse your responses in your head and visualize success.

When does job changing become “job hopping”?

While you are probably going to change jobs a few times in your career, you will have issues finding work if you change jobs too many times in a short time span, something known as ‘job hopping’.

Hiring managers are reluctant to hire individuals who they think might leave after a few months. Therefore, if you have an erratic employment history, it will probably scare off a few potential employers.

On the other hand, sticking with the same company for too long can also be a negative thing for your career. You may have hit a ceiling with respect to pay and advancement opportunities at your current job, and you might not be learning new job skills that strengthen your resume.

How to handle a long bout of unemployment

Long-term unemployment isn’t just stressful, it can actually make it more difficult to find a job. Even if there is a good reason for unemployment, such as starting a family or going back to school, you can’t just trust that employers will see your absence from the workforce as a personal virtue. If you are currently in a lengthy period of unemployment, you address the situation by gaining new skills, volunteering or taking temporary jobs.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

A job interview classic, this question is designed to gauge applicants’ interest in the company and career ambitions. An ideal approach to answering this question is to talk about gaining new skills, career ambitions and realistic career goals.

You’d think that more people would take advantage of the good impression a simple thank-you note would make to a hiring manager or HR department after a job interview, but as it turns out, very few job seekers send these notes. A recent Accountemps survey of HR managers found that only 1 out of 4 applicants (24 percent) bothered to send a thank-you note after an interview. More importantly, 80 percent of HR managers said these notes were helpful when reviewing candidates and their applications.

The verdict? Sending a well-written and timely thank-you note reinforces the positive connection a hiring manager may have had with a candidate. It can also help refresh a manager’s memory and make them reconsider a candidate after he or she does something that shows his or her good character.

If you’re wondering just how to go about sending a thank-you note, here are a few guidelines.

Email

Email is a perfectly acceptable way to send a thank-you note after a job interview. It’s received quickly, it’s easy to access, and it takes just a few minutes to type out.

Before you hit “Send,” make sure that email is the best platform for your thank-you note. If the company corresponded with you via email, then, by all means, send a thank-you note within the next 24 hours after a job interview.

Snail Mail

If the company’s HR department contacted you via phone or interacted with you primarily in person, a note sent in the mail might be more appropriate. A typed letter is generally the safer option, as it lets you show your writing abilities and knowledge of proper business letter format. This is especially important for administrative positions that may require letter-writing and outstanding communication as a major part of the job.

On the other hand, handwritten notes come off as more sincere if you want to express your gratitude to people who helped you at some point in the application process; for example, the assistant who bought you lunch, or someone who gave you insider tips about the interview process. This makes your thank-you note more personal and heartfelt.

Bottom line? Saying “thank you” not only goes a long way towards improving your chances of getting a job, it’s actually a thoughtful thing to do. For more job search guides and insights, talk to the staffing services specialists of The Reserves Network. Call our offices to learn more about our recruitment solutions.

2018 is right around the corner—now is as good a time as any to give your resume a quick once-over to make sure it’s updated with all your latest information. If you’ve been out of the workforce for quite some time, or are moving from one job to the next, it’s imperative your resume reflect your latest career developments, including your most recent work experience and newest skills.

Even if you’re not currently in the job market, it’s still a good idea to treat your resume as a living document so it shows everything that happened in your career over the past year and the years before that. Listed below are four quick and simple ways to do just that.

Add Your Latest Skills, Achievements and Work Experience

This is especially important if it’s been a while since you looked for a job. By now, it’s safe to say you’ve acquired new skills, experience and training. You should also use relevant keywords to reflect your skills, experience and achievements to show hiring managers you are the right person for the job.

Modernize Your Resume

If your resume had an edgy design the last time you looked for work, make sure you give it a more contemporary look. Modern design has leaned towards minimalism, so it’s a good idea to remove unnecessary design elements that were popular “back then.” Likewise, you might want to switch your old-school fonts (Times New Roman or Arial) to newer alternatives like Calibri or Helvetica.

Add Your Social Media Profiles and Digital Portfolio

If your resume doesn’t contain links to relevant social media profiles, add them to this new version. It might be that social media wasn’t as big the last time you looked for work. Be sure to link to a profile that will actually help you in your job search, like your LinkedIn account. You should also link to your digital portfolio or published articles and other content assets under your name.

Highlight Important Points

The job market has never been more competitive—a typical hiring manager only spends a few seconds looking at an application before making some kind of hiring decision. An effective trick around this obstacle is to make your resume easier to read by highlighting the most important aspects:

Start with a short bio at the top of your resume right under your name.

Use bullet points to describe achievements under each entry of your work experience.

Be sure to check this blog for more career insights and guides. If your job search needs a little push in the right direction, the staffing services experts of The Reserves Network are more than happy to help. Call our offices to learn more about our staffing services.

https://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.png00adminhttps://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.pngadmin2017-12-13 10:00:452017-12-05 20:48:13Start the New Year on the Right Foot With a Brand New Resume

The Reserves Network’s Elkin, NC office is hosting a TRN Care Closet and Food Pantry clothing and food drive from December 11–31.

“The idea behind this campaign is to support those in need by donating necessities they may lack,” says Lisha Snow, regional manager. “We hope these much-needed supplies can help provide some added assistance throughout the Greater Elkin area this holiday season and beyond.”

Suggested donation items include “in-season” clothing, perishable and nonperishable food items, clothing ranging from infant to adult sizes, paper and personal hygiene products, children’s toys, books and games. These items can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM at The Reserves Network’s Elkin office, located at 1124 N. Bridge Street.

For more information or to drop off donations outside the specified timeframe, please contact the Elkin office at (336)835-2559 or email elkin@TRNstaffing.com.

About The Reserves Network

Founded in 1984, The Reserves Network provides staffing services to the office, industrial, professional and technical markets. The company places nearly 20,000 employees at its more than 40 operating locations in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, and works with customers nationwide. This includes temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire placements in a wide variety of professional fields and trades. Headquartered in Fairview Park, Ohio, the family and veteran-owned company has received multiple honors for outstanding sales growth, management excellence and customer service.

Recruitment, like fashion, sees a number of trends that come and go as each year passes. Here are some of the most notable trends worth watching as we head into 2018.

Pre-Employment Assessments

Pre-employment assessments are tests that potential recruits complete before being hired. These contain anything from practical tests for technical jobs, to paper-based exams to personality tests to determine whether a person would be a great fit with the organization’s culture.

These types of assessments have gained popularity in the last few years; however, in 2018, we’ll see a shift towards personality tests and AI-designed exams, which will help create a complete picture of a potential hire.

Health and Wellness

As more attention is given to the dangers of workplace issues like prolonged sitting and sedentary lifestyles, employers are expected to include health and wellness into their compensation packages to promote a healthy lifestyle as part of their company culture.

For HR, the challenge will be to find ways to integrate health and wellness into their efforts to attract top talent. Common strategies include highlighting generous health insurance packages and complimentary gym memberships. HR can also work with marketing to sponsor a local run or charity walk to demonstrate the company’s commitment to health and wellness.

Telecommuting

Many people consider “working from home” as the best of the best in employment perks. While employers used to see telecommuting as an excuse for employees to stay home without using their PTO days, this perception has changed in recent years, with more businesses realizing the savings and improved productivity of allowing employees to work remotely.

As technology continues to improve, making remote collaboration easier and more seamless than ever, employers will have fewer excuses to bar staff from working where they want.

Tailored Benefits Packages

Many job seekers know that tech startups are known for offering unusual benefits, taking inspiration from Google, which offers perks that border on the ridiculous. Yet these perks, such as open office designs, remote working, in-house gyms and game rooms, are quickly becoming the norm.

For 2018, HR staff will have to up the ante by offering benefits packages that recruits actually want. This means checking a potential hire’s background (e.g., interests and hobbies) to garner interested in the position and company.

Diversity Hiring

As companies face pressure to address workplace discrimination and sexual harassment problems, diversity is expected to be a priority for hiring managers in 2018. Savvy recruiters will know it’s more than just meeting industry regulations and good PR—it’s about leveraging the benefits of being inclusive and having people who can bring different insights and strengths to the table.

If your recruitment processes need a little nudge in the right direction to adapt to these hiring trends, let the staffing experts of The Reserves Network help you. Call our offices to learn more about our recruitment solutions.

With the holidays fast approaching, you can expect many of your employees will find it hard to stay productive. After all, who wants to be stuck in the office when there are gifts to be purchased and wrapped, a tree to be put up and relatives to visit? It might be the happiest time of the year, but for many, it’s also a very stressful time.

While it’s not exactly realistic to give all your employees time off over the holidays, what you can do is give your workplace a little more holiday cheer by doing these five things.

Place Decorations

One of the simplest ways to work the spirit of Christmas into your office is by putting up some decorations. You can even turn the activity into a contest, challenging your employees to come up with the most creative holiday decorations in their respective cubicles or departments. Winners get a major prize, while everyone who joins in on the fun gets to take home something small but special nevertheless.

Bring the Holiday “Smell” Inside

Roasted chestnuts, cinnamon, pine, vanilla—these are just some of the smells of the holiday season. Whether you use potpourri, scented candles or scented humidifiers, bringing in the scent of the holidays is a great way to remind everyone of the festivities. Of course, you want to be careful when doing this, lest the holiday smell overpower the entire office and give people headaches.

Give Tokens of Your Appreciation

The holidays are the perfect time to express your gratitude, and what better way to say “thank you” to your employees than to give them little tokens of your appreciation? Mind you, it doesn’t have to be anything expensive—it can be something as simple as a personalized thank-you note (handwritten, of course), gifts picked specifically for an employee according to their interests or better yet, flexible work or paid vacation credits.

Hold a Gift Exchange

Gift exchanges are a great way to get everyone excited for the holidays. Have everyone pick names and give gifts to the person written on the piece of paper. There’s also a gift-giving setup like White Elephant, where everyone gets to choose from a pile of gifts pooled from all employees.

Give Back to the Community

Organize a food or gift drive for those in need in your local community. Find a local organization, like a soup kitchen, a shelter or some other foundation that routinely helps people around the holidays. Instead of a gift exchange, have your employees get gifts for the people who need them more.

For more workforce management guides for the holidays, be sure to follow this blog. If you’re having problems with your recruitment processes, let the staffing services experts of The Reserves Network help you out. Call our offices to learn more about our recruitment solutions.

https://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.png00adminhttps://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.pngadmin2017-12-01 18:15:372017-12-01 18:15:375 Ways to Make the Holidays More Meaningful for Your Employees